Did You Know?

Merriam Historic Plaza is an excellent location for school groups, community citizens and visitors to learn more about our city. From the historic paved walking path to the collection of Merriam memorabilia dating back to the late 1800's, the entire facility and grounds offer a glimpse of interesting, fun Merriam facts.

Top 10 Did You Know's About Merriam Historic Plaza

Merriam Historic Plaza, built in 2006, pays homage to the late 1800’s when Merriam Park was the grandest amusement west of the Mississippi.

The bear sculpture, entitled “Motherhood” by artist Kwan Wu represent the mama bear and baby cubs who lived in a den at Merriam Park; rumor claims the superintendent had to corral them back to their den when they would escape and roam the grounds.

Because Merriam is a historic rail town, part of the metal supporting the interpretive signs of the outdoor walking path comes from recycled train track materials.

The roof of Merriam Historic Plaza incorporates an on-site rainwater detention center which reduces water runoff by 50-605.

Merriam Historic Plaza offers a meeting room for business functions during regular office hours of the Merriam Visitors Bureau. Seating for up to 50 is available with rates starting at $40 per hour.

Since opening in 2006, Merriam Historic Plaza has greeted over 6,000 visitors to our facility.

Installed in 2010, Merriam Historic Plaza is the first city building to house solar panels which help reduce the carbon footprint of the facility. To-date, these panels have produced enough energy to power 400 houses for one full day.

The Visitors Bureau office is located at Merriam Historic Plaza and although we’ve only been operating from this location since 2006, we’ve been serving visitors to Merriam since 1996.

There’s a geocache on site at Merriam Historic Plaza called “Maps & Guides & Bears, Oh My!” Can you find it? If you’re a techie treasure hunter, this activity is the perfect seek and find adventure for you.